U.S. patent number 6,508,512 [Application Number 09/935,029] was granted by the patent office on 2003-01-21 for hinged headrest for a vehicle seat.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Lear Corporation. Invention is credited to Philip W. Leistra, III, Brian Phillips, Mohammad Saberan, David J. Thieda.
United States Patent |
6,508,512 |
Saberan , et al. |
January 21, 2003 |
Hinged headrest for a vehicle seat
Abstract
A headrest assembly (36) for a vehicle seat (10) and a method of
installation. The headrest assembly (36) includes a support post
(28) pivotally connected to an installation post (16) via an
installation hinge (30). The installation post (16) is installed
into a guide sleeve (14) of the seat back (12) such that the
installation hinge (30) is still exposed, allowing the headrest
body (34) to tip down and forward. The seat (10) is then installed
into the vehicle body (50), after which, the headrest body (34) is
tipped up and pushed down until a support post notch (38) engages
with an installation catch (20) mounted on the guide sleeve (14).
The headrest (36) will now remain in its use position with the
hinge (30) contained within the guide sleeve (14).
Inventors: |
Saberan; Mohammad (New
Baltimore, MI), Phillips; Brian (Almont, MI), Thieda;
David J. (Macomb, MI), Leistra, III; Philip W.
(Birmingham, MI) |
Assignee: |
Lear Corporation (Southfield,
MI)
|
Family
ID: |
26921370 |
Appl.
No.: |
09/935,029 |
Filed: |
August 22, 2001 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
297/408; 297/391;
297/410 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B60N
2/818 (20180201); B60N 2/856 (20180201) |
Current International
Class: |
B60N
2/48 (20060101); A47C 007/36 () |
Field of
Search: |
;297/410,408,391,403,400,409 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Cuomo; Peter M.
Assistant Examiner: Harris; Stephanie
Attorney, Agent or Firm: MacMillan, Sobanski & Todd,
LLC
Parent Case Text
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional patent
application serial No. 60/227,338, filed Aug. 23, 2000.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A seat for a vehicle comprising: a seat back portion that is
adapted to mount generally vertically in the vehicle, with the seat
back portion including a head rest support receiver having a
removal limiter; and a headrest including a main body; an
installation post having a first end received within the support
receiver, and a second end, disposed opposite to the first end,
having a hinge receiving portion; and a support post having a first
end securely connected to the main body, a second end, disposed
opposite to the first end, having a hinge portion pivotally
connected to the hinge receiving portion, and a first engagement
device engageable with the removal limiter when the hinge portion
is received within the support receiver.
2. The seat of claim 1 wherein the installation post further
includes a second engagement device for engaging with the removal
limiter and retaining the installation post once installed
partially into the support receiver.
3. The seat of claim 2 wherein the support receiver is a guide
sleeve, and the installation post and support post are
telescopically received within the guide sleeve.
4. The seat of claim 3 wherein the removal limiter is an
installation catch having a catch flange and a catch release, and
the first engagement device is an installation notch, with the
catch flange received within the installation notch.
5. The seat of claim 4 wherein the catch release couples to the
catch flange or removing the catch flange from the installation
notch.
6. The seat of claim 1 wherein the installation post is made of
plastic and the support post is made of metal.
7. The seat of claim 1 further including an installation hinge
screw pivotally coupled to the hinge portion and the hinge
receiving portion.
8. A headrest for a vehicle seat having a seat back and a support
receiver with a removal limiter, the headrest comprising: a main
body adapted for receiving a head of a vehicle occupant; an
installation post having a first end adapted to be received within
the support receiver, and a second end, disposed opposite to the
first end, having a hinge receiving portion; and a support post
having a first end securely connected to the main body, a second
end, disposed opposite to the first end, having a hinge portion
pivotally connected to the hinge receiving portion, and a first
engagement device adapted to engage with the removal limiter when
the hinge portion is received within the support receiver.
9. The headrest of claim 8 wherein the installation post further
includes a second engagement device adapted for engaging with the
removal limiter and retaining the installation post once installed
partially into the support receiver.
10. The headrest of claim 9 wherein the support receiver is a guide
sleeve, and the installation post and support post are adapted to
be telescopically received within the guide sleeve.
11. A method for installing a seat and headrest into a vehicle,
with the seat having a seat back portion that includes a support
receiver and a removal limiter, and the headrest having a main
body; an installation post having a first end received within the
support receiver, and a second end, disposed opposite to the first
end, having a hinge receiving portion; and a support post having a
first end securely connected to the main body, a second end,
disposed opposite to the first end, having a hinge portion
pivotally connected to the hinge receiving portion, and a first
engagement device engageable with the removal limiter when the
hinge portion is received within the support receiver; the method
comprising the steps of: hingedly connecting a headrest support
post to a headrest installation post; installing the installation
post partially within the support receiver of the seat back prior
to installation of the seat into the vehicle; installing the seat
into the vehicle; and after installation of the seat into the
vehicle, manipulating the headrest to cause the support post to
partially insert within the support receiver such that the removal
limiter engages the first engagement device.
12. The method of claim 11 wherein the headrest installation post
further includes a second engagement device for engaging with the
removal limiter and retaining the installation post once installed
partially into the support receiver, with the step of installing
the installation post comprising: installing the installation post
partially within the support receiver such that the removal limiter
engages the second engagement device.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to headrests used with vehicle seats
and more particularly to headrests with installation hinges for use
with vehicle seats.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Conventionally, for vehicle seats with headrests, if the door
opening is big enough, the seat is installed in the vehicle with
the headrest attached. Since the seats are typically assembled in
different locations than the plant for the vehicle assembly, this
makes keeping track of the headrests and final seat assembly
easier. Recently, however, seat and headrest combinations are being
made taller to meet newer government head impact requirements,
while at the same time the doors for some vehicles are being made
smaller. Consequently, the vehicle door opening is smaller than the
height of the seat with the headrest in its normal use position. In
some vehicles, this can be overcome in the rear seats because, by
coincidence, they have a system to flip the headrest forward and
down to remove it from the driver's line of sight when driving
while no one occupies the back seat. But such a system is not
desirable in a front seat, nor is it cost effective in the back
seat for many vehicles.
Thus, to overcome this problem, seat manufacturers are assembling
and shipping the seats and headrests separately, with the
installation of the headrests after the seats are installed in the
vehicle. After installation, then, the assembly line worker at the
vehicle plant inspects the headrest to assure proper
installation.
While assembly of the headrest at the vehicle plant can be made to
work, it is much more expedient to assemble, inspect and test the
headrest at the time the seat is assembled. Assembling the
headrests to the seats before shipping eliminates the need to track
and match headrests to seats, it allows one to test the seat and
headrest at once without bending over inside the vehicle. Further,
some new headrests may include electronics, such as speakers or an
antenna, and it is easier to make the electrical connection and
test it at the time the seat is assembled rather than after the
seat is installed in the vehicle.
Thus, it is desirable to have a headrest and vehicle seat that
overcome the drawbacks of the conventional headrest and seat
assemblies. In particular, it is desirable to have a simple,
inexpensive and reliable headrest assembly that can be assembled to
a vehicle seat and tilted down prior to installation, in order to
ease the installation of the seat into the vehicle, and then allows
the headrest to be tilted up and pushed into its use position so
that the headrest assembly will not under normal use tilt all of
the way down to its pre-installation position.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In its embodiments, the present invention contemplates a headrest
for a vehicle seat having a seat back and a support receiver with a
removal limiter. The headrest includes a main body adapted for
receiving a head of a vehicle occupant, and an installation post
having a first end adapted to be received within the support
receiver, and a second end, disposed opposite to the first end,
having a hinge receiving portion. The headrest also includes a
support post having a first end securely connected to the main
body, a second end, disposed opposite to the first end, having a
hinge portion pivotally connected to the hinge receiving portion,
and a first engagement device adapted to engage with the removal
limiter when the hinge portion is received within the support
receiver.
The present invention further contemplates a method for installing
a seat and headrest into a vehicle, with the seat having a seat
back portion that includes a support receiver and a removal
limiter, and the headrest having a main body; an installation post
having a first end received within the support receiver, and a
second end, disposed opposite to the first end, having a hinge
receiving portion; and a support post having a first end securely
connected to the main body, a second end, disposed opposite to the
first end, having a hinge portion pivotally connected to the hinge
receiving portion, and a first engagement device engageable with
the removal limiter when the hinge portion is received within the
support receiver; the method comprising the steps of: hingedly
connecting a headrest support post to a headrest installation post;
installing the installation post partially within the support
receiver of the seat back prior to installation of the seat into
the vehicle; installing the seat into the vehicle; and after
installation of the seat into the vehicle, manipulating the
headrest to cause the support post to partially insert within the
support receiver such that the removal limiter engages the first
engagement device.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a
headrest for a vehicle seat that can be installed onto the seat
prior to installation in the vehicle, even when the vehicle door
opening is too small to accommodate the seat and headrest when the
headrest is in its use position.
Another object of the present invention is to satisfy the above
noted object of the invention with minimum impact on expense,
complexity and weight of the vehicle.
An advantage of the present invention is that a headrest can be
assembled to a vehicle seat and tilted down via an installation
post and an installation hinge in order to ease the installation of
the seat into the vehicle, and then allow the headrest to be tilted
up and pushed into its use position so that the installation hinge
is no longer operable.
Another advantage of the present invention is that a headrest can
be installed on a seat at a seat assembly plant, and once the seat
is installed in the vehicle, manipulated into its use position.
An additional advantage of the present invention is that the
installation post and hinge can be of a lighter weight material
than the support post since the installation post and hinge will
not be subjected to occupant loads once fully installed in the seat
after the seat is installed in the vehicle.
A further advantage of the present invention is that the
conventional seat back and its guide sleeve do not need to change
to accommodate the headrest assembly with the installation post and
hinge since the catch on the guide sleeve can be the same.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of a seat having a headrest in
a pre-installation position;
FIG. 2 is a side sectional view, on an enlarged scale, of a
headrest support post and installation post accordance with the
present invention; and
FIGS. 3a-3d are schematic representations illustrating the
installation process in accordance with the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
FIGS. 1 and 2 show a vehicle seat 10 having a seat back 12, with a
pair of headrest guide sleeves 14 mounted side-by-side therein,
(only one shown for clarity). While this embodiment discloses a
headrest with a pair of support posts, the invention is also
applicable to headrests with different numbers of support posts.
Telescopically inserted within each guide sleeve 14 is an
installation post 16. Each installation post 16 includes an
installation notch 18 that is shaped to engage with an installation
catch 20 mounted to the respective guide sleeve 14. Each
installation catch 20 includes a catch flange portion 23 and a
catch release portion 21. The installation notch 18 is squared off
so that once the respective catch flange 23 engages the notch 18,
it cannot be disengaged without fully pressing in the catch release
21.
Each installation post 16 also includes a slotted opening 22 at its
top end that receives a hinge screw 24 and a bottom end 26 of a
respective support post 28. The top end 32 of each of the support
posts 28 connects to and supports a main body 34 of the headrest
assembly 36. The support posts each also include a support post
installation notch 38 which is shaped to engage the catch flange 23
on the respective guide sleeve 14. The installation notch 18,
support post notch 38 and installation catch 20 can include
conventional locks, rods, and notches, which cooperate with
conventional headrests and guide sleeves to retain the mounting
posts within the guide sleeve.
For a particular vehicle seat and headrest assembly, it is
preferred that only one of the support posts have the notches and
only the corresponding guide sleeve have an installation catch,
although both may have such a mechanism, if so desired. The example
shown herein has a notch 38 that is squared off on the bottom, but
rounded off on the top, thus allowing the headrest 36 to be easily
pushed down into the seat, but only pulled up when the catch
release 21 is pressed. Two other comfort adjustment notches 40 are
shown, which are optional and operate in a conventional manner for
adjusting the height of the headrest 34.
An installation hinge 30 is formed by the slotted opening 22, hinge
screw 24 and bottom end 26 of the support post 28. This hinge 30
pivotally connects the headrest main body 34 to the seat back
12.
The installation post 16 can be made of a lightweight, low strength
material, such as an inexpensive plastic, since only the support
post 28 and main body 34 will function in the manner of a
conventional headrest assembly for impact resistance. The support
posts 28, then, will need to be made robust enough to meet
governmental head impact requirements, as with conventional
headrests. Typically, the support posts 28 will be made of metal or
other high strength material.
The assembly process will now be described with reference to FIGS.
3a-3d. FIG. 3a shows an assembled vehicle seat 10 and a separate
assembled headrest assembly 36. Then, as shown in FIG. 3b, the
installation post 16 is telescopically inserted into the guide
sleeve 14 of the seat back 12 until the catch flange 23 (not shown
in this figure) engages the installation notch 18 on the guide
sleeve 14. The headrest main body 34 is then tipped down and
forward into the headrest shipping position.
At this point, any electrical connections that may have to be made
due to electronics mounted within the headrest main body 34 can be
since the headrest stays with the seat for the rest of the assembly
process. Examples of such electronics might be a headrest that
includes integral speakers, an antenna, or a motor for tilting the
headrest to various comfort positions within a range of use
positions. A flexible wire conduit can be attached between the
headrest main body 34 and the seat back 12 to house any wiring
extending therebetween. When the headrest is moved between the
shipping and normal operating positions, the slack of the flexible
conduit can simply be disposed within a separate guide tube (not
shown) of the seat back 12 or headrest main body 34. Therefore, the
use of wiring harnesses and their connection would not be required
at the vehicle assembly plant. Further, the functioning of the
headrest assembly 36 can be checked at the seat assembly location.
Now the seat 12, with the headrest 36 is shipped to a vehicle
assembly plant. Once there, it can be assembled into a vehicle.
A typical vehicle body 50 is illustrated in FIGS. 3c and 3d. This
vehicle body 50 includes a door opening 52, and an instrument panel
54 that is already installed in the vehicle. It also illustrates a
permitted clearance requirement 56 (phantom line) within the door
opening 52, within which a seat and/or headrest must fit during
installation. The clearance requirement 56 is set by the particular
vehicle manufacturer and is meant to assure that the seat 10 does
not bang against or snag on anything while being installed. One
will note that, if the headrest assembly 36 were in its vehicle use
position during installation, the seat 10 and headrest 36 could not
be installed through the door opening 52 within the clearance
requirement area 56. But, with the headrest body 34 tipped forward
and down, the seat 10 will fit within the clearance requirement
area 56 of the door opening 52.
FIG. 3c illustrates the seat 10 and headrest 36 being installed
through the vehicle door opening 52. Once in the vehicle,
conventional assembly processes are used to secure the seat to the
vehicle.
As shown in FIG. 3d, after installation in vehicle, the headrest
main body 34 is tipped up and pushed down until the support post
notch 38 engages the catch flange 23 (not shown in this figure) of
the guide sleeve 14. Note that, with the headrest assembly 36 in
its use position, the installation hinge 30 is disposed in the
guide sleeve 14 of the seat back 12. This is so that during normal
operation of the headrest, the hinge 30 will not take any loads.
The installation is now complete and the headrest 36 cannot be
raised again to where the installation hinge 30 is removed from the
guide sleeve 14 without manipulating the catch release 21.
The headrest 36 can be configured and operated in any suitable
manner. For example, the headrest can be a 4-way headrest in which
the headrest can move vertically (up/down) and pivot along a
lateral axis since the installation hinge 30 has no effect once the
headrest 36 is inserted into its use position. The headrest can be
manual or power operated.
If so desired, one can employ a modified installation catch 20,
which requires a tool in order to release the installation notch 18
and the support post notch 38 (when pulling the headrest farther
out of the seat) so that the hinge will only be exposed for
servicing of the headrest, but a typical vehicle occupant cannot
remove the headrest that far.
While certain embodiments of the present invention have been
described in detail, those familiar with the art to which this
invention relates will recognize various alternative designs and
embodiments for practicing the invention as defined by the
following claims.
* * * * *